Senior sports writer for The Age

Scott Pendlebury speaks to the team during the game against Adelaide. Photo: Getty Images

His team is in now grave danger of missing the finals for the first time in his nine-season career, but Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury believes the Magpies will still feature in the play-offs despite a fifth loss in six games on Sunday night.

Pendlebury described the 16-point loss to Adelaide as "pretty gut-wrenching" after the Pies rallied from a poor opening to lead by a goal midway through the last quarter. Yet he insisted playing finals was not in the conversation internally, and would not be until the last game of the home and away season.

"I haven't even thought about it," Pendlebury said of the prospect of not playing in September. "Round 23 if we're not playing I'll let you know, but I still think we'll play finals."

AFL Round 18 Collingwood v Adelaide

Adelaide were leading at the beginning but ended up trailing near the end to stage a comeback and win against Collingwood at the MCG. The 16-point win against the Magpies puts the Crows in the top eight for the first time this season. Final score, 14.14 (98) to 12.10 (82). Photo: Getty Images

Pendlebury bemoaned a shaky start in which mistakes in defence gave the Crows the early momentum, but said there were no excuses for a team in which Ben Reid and Kyle Martin were playing their first games of the season and the absence of both Dane Swan and Nick Maxwell for the first time since 2006 left the Magpies looking young and inexperienced.

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"We're not making any excuses. We were in a position to win that game - we were a goal up with 15 minutes to go. We put ourselves in a position to win. We've just got to be better.

"We gave up some really soft goals from unnecessary things that we did, playing on in the back pocket when we don't need to. The start of the game hurt us, and obviously the last 15 minutes they got on top. It's a pretty gut-wrenching feeling giving that one up."

Asked if the Magpies had failed a test in a game that was billed as a mini-final, Pendlebury was deadpan. "We didn't get the four points, so yeah."

Wins in the contested possession and clearance statistics were a positive for Nathan Buckley's team, but Pendlebury's assessment of the early exchanges inadvertently painted a picture of a young side with much to do if it is to clamber back into the eight.

"Never in a game of footy do blokes mean to muck up, but in the heat of the moment we've got to be better, you've got to stay clear in your mind and know what we want to do as a side, you can't get caught up in the atmosphere. Which is what we're trying to teach the whole team _ you've got to stick to the way we want to play all game. And tonight it was the start that really hurt us.

"I think the effort was good after the first 10 minutes of the first quarter. Their pressure was good, but we brought the pressure on by playing on. That hurt us.

"We've just got to butter up, recover really well and get ready for Port Adelaide, who are coming off a bye and will be raring to go. It's another good challenge for us."

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